Rockford Lutheran students give transformation a try

ROCKFORD - Transform Rockford, a community effort to improve the quality of life and economic vitality of the Forest City, got a jolt of teen spirit Friday.

Several sessions have been held in the community for people of all ages, attracting mainly adults, but this was the first geared toward a large group of students.

The visioning session's goal was the same: to gather as much input as possible on Rockford and what people want to see changed.

The 400 high schoolers delivered.

Safety was a big concern. Lack of career opportunities was another. The students at Rockford Lutheran mentioned many of the same things their adult counterparts have: The community needs to be healthier. It needs better schools. There needs to be more equality.

Angela Schmidt, assistant dean for student affairs at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, said the students did good work quickly.

"They were much more to the point. Whereas adults would say things about the environment and needing a vibrant living environment with backstories about why, the students said 'Cleaner'."

Schmidt was one of 25 volunteer facilitators who helped the students through the visioning exercise.

At the end of the session, students listened to and gave brief presentations on their findings. Then they voted on their top priorities by placing Transform Bucks in baskets representing social agendas.

Transform plans to work with students from West Middle School and the Harlem School District this month.

Playing an active role in Transform Rockford is in step with Rockford Lutheran's teachings.

"It empowers them to actually be a part of their community," Principal Donald Kortze said. "It forces them to think 'What's my role in this?'"

About 600 adults have participated in the community dialogue sessions and about 500 submitted feedback at transformrockford.org. Friday's session put participation at the 1,500 mark.

"I'm 100 percent for it," Alexa Sikora, 15, said. "I believe it's a great opportunity to make Rockford a better place to live."